Landlord Resources & Advice in Birmingham
Where are you starting from?
Landlord compliance checklist
These are the legal requirements for letting a home in England, with how often each one comes round. Missing one can block you from regaining possession, or lead to a fine.
| Requirement | When | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Gas safety check | Every 12 months | Carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Give tenants a copy within 28 days of the check, and before new tenants move in. |
| Electrical safety (EICR) | At least every 5 years | Carried out by a qualified electrician. Give tenants a copy within 28 days, and complete any required remedial work within 28 days or sooner if the report says so. |
| Energy Performance Certificate | Before marketing. Valid for 10 years | The property must be rated E or above to let. The government has set out plans to raise the minimum for rented homes, so check your rating before planning works. |
| Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms | Working on day one of every tenancy | A smoke alarm on every storey used as living space, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker. Repair or replace promptly when told one is faulty. |
| Deposit protection | Within 30 days of receiving it | Protect it in a government-approved scheme and give the tenant the prescribed information. The cap is five weeks’ rent where annual rent is below £50,000, six weeks between £50,000 and £100,000. |
| Right to Rent | Before the tenancy starts | Check every adult who’ll live there as their main home, named on the agreement or not, and keep a record of the check. |
| Written tenancy information | Before the tenancy starts | Tenants must receive the required written terms, including rent, deposit, bills, repairs and notice. |
| Licensing | Before letting, where it applies | Some Birmingham wards and most shared houses need a council licence. See licensing in Birmingham. |
| Legionella | At the start, then review | Assess the risk from the water system and keep a note of it. No certificate is required. |
| Condition and repairs | Throughout the tenancy | The home must be free from serious hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, and repairs reported by tenants dealt with in reasonable time. |
If you’re in doubt, get in touch with our team for a property compliance health check.
The Renters' Rights Act: what changed for landlords on 1 May 2026
The biggest change to private renting in England in a generation came into force on 1 May 2026. If you last set up a tenancy before then, several things you’d do by habit are no longer allowed.
The short version: tenancies no longer have an end date, you can’t end one without a legal reason, and rent increases follow a set process once a year. Most of the rest follows from those three changes.
Still to come
The Act is being introduced in phases. These later stages will affect Birmingham landlords, and we’ll update this page as dates are confirmed:
- A private rented sector database that landlords will need to register to in Late 2026
- A private landlord ombudsman that tenants can complain to in 2028
- The Decent Homes Standard extended to privately rented homes from 2030-35
- Awaab’s Law timescales for damp and mould applied to private lets pending secondary consultations
| What | Before 1 May 2026 | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Tenancy type | Assured shorthold, usually a 6 or 12 month fixed term | Assured periodic tenancy that rolls on monthly, with no fixed term to renew |
| Ending a tenancy | Section 21 notice, no reason needed | Section 21 is abolished. You need a valid ground under Section 8, such as selling, moving in, or serious rent arrears, with the notice period that ground requires |
| Rent increases | Rent review clauses or renegotiation at renewal | Once in any 12 months, using the formal Section 13 notice with two months’ notice. Tenants can challenge an increase above market rent at tribunal |
| Advertised rent | Offers above the asking rent were common | The advertised rent is the maximum. You can’t invite or accept offers above it |
| Rent in advance | Several months up front, often from tenants without a UK guarantor | Nothing before the agreement is signed, then no more than one month before the tenancy starts |
| Pets | Blanket “no pets” clauses | You must consider a written request and respond within 28 days, and can’t refuse without a good reason |
| Choosing tenants | “No DSS” and “no children” adverts | Blanket bans on tenants who receive benefits or have children are unlawful |
| Tenant leaving | Tied to the end of the fixed term | Tenants can leave on two months’ written notice at any time |
Applies to private tenancies in England. GOV.UK carries the current legal position.
Explore Birmingham's rental areas
Birmingham grew out of a cluster of towns, and each one still lets differently. Who rents, what they’re looking for and what catches landlords out can change completely within a few miles. Here’s what we’d want a landlord to know about each area before letting there.
Birmingham city centre
Apartment living within walking distance of three mainline stations, let mostly to young professionals working around Colmore Row and Brindleyplace. Tenants choose the building as much as the postcode, so management, security and service charges matter more here than almost anywhere.
Jewellery Quarter
Converted factories, Georgian terraces and new apartments on the edge of the centre, with its own station and tram stop. Tenants are mostly professionals in their late twenties and thirties who don’t want a car. Buildings vary a lot in how they’re run, so know your managing agent and any cladding position before you let.
Edgbaston
Two markets under one name. Apartments along the Hagley Road and around Five Ways let steadily to Queen Elizabeth Hospital and university staff. Further out, large period houses attract families and sharers. Much of the area sits within the Calthorpe Estate, which controls alterations.
Moseley
Victorian villas, many converted into flats, alongside Edwardian semis and terraces, around a village with a strong independent character. The station reopened in April 2026, putting New Street twelve minutes away and widening the pool of commuting tenants. In converted villas, sound insulation between flats is the thing tenants notice.
Harborne
A settled, green suburb built around a long high street, popular with families and hospital staff who tend to stay for years. Longer tenancies and fewer voids are the draw. The trade-off is no railway station, so tenants commuting beyond the university and hospital need a bus or a car.
Everywhere In Between
From Digbeth to Solihull, Kings Norton to Selly Oak and Bournville – Miller Rose helps landlords across all Birmingham neighbourhoods and the broader West Midlands.
Calculate your Rental Yield
If you’re weighing up a purchase in any of these areas, our rental yield calculator works out your yield from the purchase costs, monthly rent and any annual costs you add.
Should you manage it yourself or use a letting agent?
Plenty of landlords manage well on their own, particularly with one or two properties close to home. What changes the answer is usually time, distance, and how comfortable you are with the rules above, which have become more demanding since May.
If you’re thinking of managing yourself, the honest test is whether you can reply to a repair report within a day, keep every certificate in date, and follow the formal process for rent increases and possession without shortcuts. If you can, you may not need us.
If you’d rather not, our letting agents guide explains what agents actually do and what they cost, and how to find a letting agent covers what to ask before you sign with anyone, us included.
Already with an agent and it isn’t working? Changing is more straightforward than most landlords expect, and your tenants don’t need to move. Our guide to switching letting agents in Birmingham covers notice periods, fees to look out for in your current contract, and how the handover works.
Questions Birmingham landlords ask
Do I need a licence to rent out my property in Birmingham?
It depends on the address and how it’s let. Properties in Birmingham’s selective licensing wards need a licence whatever their size. Houses shared by five or more people from two or more households need a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in the city. Check the specific address with Birmingham City Council before you market it.
What did the Renters’ Rights Act change for landlords?
From 1 May 2026, new private tenancies in England are rolling periodic tenancies with no fixed term. Section 21 has been abolished, so ending a tenancy needs a valid legal ground. Rent can rise once a year through the formal process, the advertised rent is the maximum you can accept, and you can ask for no more than one month’s rent in advance.
Can I still offer a 12-month fixed-term tenancy?
No. New assured tenancies in England are periodic and roll on, usually monthly. Tenants can leave on two months’ notice, and you can only end the tenancy using a valid ground under Section 8.
How often can I put the rent up?
Once in any 12-month period, using a Section 13 notice that gives the tenant two months’ notice. Tenants can challenge an increase they believe is above market rent at the First-tier Tribunal.
How much deposit can I take?
Up to five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, and six weeks where it’s between £50,000 and £100,000. It must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days, and the tenant must be told which one.
Talk to our lettings team
Whether you want a second opinion on a tenancy, a compliance check, or a rental valuation, we’ll give you a straight answer, including when you don’t need us.
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